Where to go on holiday while pregnant?

[lowrib]

One of my best friends has just found out she's pregnant with DC2, yippee

She is a little sad however as she was due to go away in February, on a 10 day trip to India on her own. She's passionate about travel, and hasn't been away since before her first child was born 4 years ago. This was going to be a real treat - a big trip. She can't go now because she doesn't want to take malaria tablets or travel alone while pregnant.

So, oh wise mumsnetters, please could you help me find an alternative destination that fits her bill?

• somewhere truly, stunningly beautiful, or interesting, as she loves taking photos

• not a resort - she prefers nature to over-developed resort-type places

• a reasonable amount of comfort as she's pregnant (compared to the backpacker type trip which she would happily have done in India)

• somewhere that'll be warm in February

• budget about £500 or so per person (2 people going)

• nowhere that vaccinations or tablets are needed

This'll be her last bid for freedom before being mum to a little one for many more years, so I want to help her find somewhere lovely to go.

I'd be very grateful for any suggestions

TIA

Did I mention that my mate's pregnant?!
I'm really excited for her

Felixstowe

Slightly more adventurous than Felixstowe please!

Felixstowe is warm in February?! They kept that one quiet!

Yes, it is always warm due to Sizewell B nearby .

Somewhere like Egypt could fit the bill. The weather would be good and she could split time between visiting Cairo and then fly out to the Red Sea. The difficulty would be avoiding tourist places.

Anywhere in the Caribbean would not require vaccinations but finding somewhere away from the tourists for £500 will be difficult.

this site looks interesting

Most places that will be warm in February will require vaccinations. If she's travelled a lot before she may well be covered for Hepatitis A though which opens up the possibilities.

Mind you a budget of 500 per person is pretty tight.

If she doesn't mind being cold then Scandinavia is supposed to be stunning, not sure how expensive it is though.

We went to Thailand when I was 26 weeks for a last luxury blowout, was fantastic, didn't need any vaccinations as was covered from previous ones

Thanks for the replies everyone. (Still smiling at Felixstowe).

I did think of Egypt. Some old friends of DPs rent a holiday villa in Dahab actually - link here if you're interested. You can get across to Petra for a day trip, which would be stunning. But you have to take loads of vaccinations for Egypt according to the interweb.

Sidge you're right she could be covered from pervious trips, I'll ask.

£500 was a rough amount, it suspect could be stretched a little.

There are loads of lovely places in Europe you could do for cheap. Bergamo in Italy is stunning - Ryan Air fly there. They pretend it's Milan. In fact it's a beautiful old Italian town on top of a hill with stunning buildings, beautiful winding streets, great places to eat and shop, lots to see and you can visit the lakes on a day trip from there. I'm going to tske DP on a romantic trip there one day.

But - it'll be a bit cold in Feb.

Kephalonia (?sp) is also absolutely stunning, outside of the touristy areas, but I ruled it out because it has berautiful but treacherous mountain roads, and you have to really like challenging driving to enjoy exploring the island. I expect it's a little chilly in Feb too.

Thailand, that's a thought ...

Ooh, interesting site, I'll have a look ...

Nice places to dream about, good link thanks - however sadly out of budget I think (e.g. so remote you need a helicopter ride to get there)

So is there anywhere that's not freezing in February. I wonder if she can go in March, that might open the field a little.

I asked about her jabs. Over 5 years since she last had any.

Ah,I didn't go very far into the site.

JulesVerne do some good hols too but seem to have each day organised for you, so she may not like that

Also, I go to Egypt quite a bit but do not bother with jabs. I think they are recommended rather than compulsory.

I'm another one going to Thailand at the end of January when I'll be 26 weeks pregnant. Stick to the parts which are non-malarial and she won't require jabs - it's absolutely beautiful, cheap as chips (she will require little spending money when she's there) but has high quality resorts to kick back and get fat in. Perfect. :)

Ile de la Reunion (next to Mauritius) - beaches, hiking, a volcano - and we should be over the worst of the heat but early March is probably better than Feb.

Part of France so reciprocal healthcare if things go pear-shaped, no malaria, the only vaccinations for short-term stays are one she should be up to date on anyway (and I boosted my Hep A whilst pregnant).

However it's pricy to get there and a budget of £500pp would probably just about cover return flights.

Alternatively Capetown? I'm going there at 28 weeks end of January (no vaccinations and not a malarial region) and you might be able to get a good deal.

Corsica?
Canada?
Borneo?
Japan?

Barcelona?

I have been to South Africa in Feb and the temperature was lovely. We did Jo'burg, Drakensburg and Cape Town. No malarials needed (I think they would have been if we went to Kruger but we went somewhere else instead).

Ooh more replies, thanks everyone!

Good news - I spoke to my mate this evening and it turns out her vaccinations should be valid from 5 years ago, from when she went to India and Mexico. (I misunderstood her earlier - the perils of communicating by text!)

So actually anywhere that's not a Malaria risk should be fine.

I told her mums around the workd are working on this for her and she really appreciated it

I'll have a look at your suggestions now.

Egypt could be in the running then. I'll suggest DP's mate's villa to her.

Thailand makes my shortlist too. I've even got a lovely pregnant frined out there she could hook up with for a day or two.

Ile de la Reunion looks stunning, I've made a mental note, and perhaps I'll go there one day!

But for my mate's trip, the flight blows the budget unfortunately

South Africa - she's been lots of times
Corsica - lovely but a bit chilly in Feb
Borneo - again stunning, but it's a malaria risk
Japan - a really cool place - but out of budget
Barcelona - again a bit chilly in feb.

This isn't easy! (But much more fun that the college work I'm meant to be doing )

The contenders so far seem to be Egypt and Thailand.

I went to Lebanon and Syria when I was 6 months pregnant (in February). The weather was lovely, not too hot for a pregnant woman. We were based in Beirut and there are loads of really interesting places to see within travelling distance. We also travelled to Damascus - the old city is fabulous, well worth a visit. I found both places really relaxed and look forward to going back now with my baby son.